Defensive Architecture and Tobit

I'm in the lower half of America's economic ladder, but I've never been homeless. That's just as well, since I've spent the bulk of my life in Minnesota and North Dakota. Winters get cold up here.

I am, however, a recovering English teacher; and I like to verify my assumptions about what words mean. Here's part of my country's definition of "homeless." There will not be a test on this:

• "...the terms 'homeless', 'homeless individual', and 'homeless person' means— 
  • "(1) an individual or family who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence;
  • "(2) an individual or family with a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings, including a car, park, abandoned building, bus or train station, airport, or camping ground;..."
  (Title 42 › Chapter 119 › Subchapter I › § 11302 - General definition of homeless individual, via Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law Library)

I had to read "primary nighttime residence ... camping ground" twice before I realized that most folks who sleep on "camping grounds" are there for a vacation: and have a "primary nighttime residence" elsewhere.

Folks become homeless for many reasons. Some lost their jobs, others were evicted — because they or their landlord couldn't pay rent or keep up mortgage payments. Sometimes war or natural disaster forces folks to leave their homes - - - - -.

It's a long list, and includes substance abuse and being crippled in body or mind.

Some folks end up on the street because of 'weak moral character,'¹ some were just in the wrong place at the wrong time when life happened. Either way — I'll get back to that.

Places to Sleep

(From Getty Images, via CityMetric, used w/o permission.)

"How 'defensive architecture' is designing the homeless out of our cities"
Rowland Atkinson, Aidan While; CityMetric (January 4, 2016)

"On any one night in London, there around 700 people sleeping in the city’s streets. Rough sleeping is a risky decision – and almost always the choice of the most desperate. Yet the response of the state – and our society – is surprisingly hostile.

"Rough sleeping – and homelessness more generally – are on the rise. But austerity measures have made things worse, by cutting funds to vital support services. On top of this, rough sleepers have good reason to fear abusive behaviour from passers-by. Shockingly, this has even included physical attacks, resulting in documented deaths.

"But beyond the discomfort, the abuse and the absence of social support, there is another factor making life even more difficult for those sleeping on the streets. The very shape of our cities has started to reflect our hostility toward the homeless, in the form of design elements that prevent them from seeking refuge in public spaces. This phenomenon is known as 'defensive architecture'....."

I'm not sure what the authors meant by "London." A bit over 7,000 folks live in the City of London. About 8,500,689 lived in Greater London in 2014 — which doesn't tell me whether it's one of out ten Londoners sleep on the streets, or one in a thousand.

My guess is that they meant Greater London. One in ten residents on the street seems like a high percentage.

The good news in that CityMetric article, as I see it, is that some municipalities changed laws and regulations in an effort to protect folks at the low end. Some property owners are helping, too:

"Manchester United stars Neville and Giggs tell hotel squatters: stay for winter"
theguardian.com (October 18, 2015)

"When Manchester United footballers Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs got planning permission to turn the historic Manchester stock exchange into a boutique hotel ... they envisaged opening it up to an exclusive and moneyed clientele. Instead, a group of homeless people with little or no money have moved in – with Neville's blessing. Gary Neville’s kind gesture on squatting highlights growing rage over housing

"The hotel, which is undergoing extensive renovations before opening its doors to paying guests, was occupied on Sunday by a group of squatters and housing activists called the Manchester Angels. Instead of the usual response of property owners – rushing to court to obtain an order to get the uninvited new incumbents evicted – the famous ex-footballers who own the building have told them they can stay, not just for a few days, but throughout the coldest months of the winter...."

Faith, Works, and All That

So, why should I care? Short answer: I'm a Christian, and take my faith seriously.

Like it says in Tobit 4:7: "...Do not turn your face away from any of the poor, and God's face will not be turned away from you."

Feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead, are "corporal works of mercy." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2447)

Thinking nice thoughts is nice: but we're supposed to do something about what we believe.

"⁶ What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?

"If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day,

"and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,' but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it?"
(James 2:15-16)

I'm not wracked with guilt and shame because some property owners discourage homeless folks from sleeping on their stoops.

Participation in social life and working for the common good is important. So is taking part in public life as far as possible. (Catechism, 1897-1917, particularly 1913-1914).

I'm not opening a boutique hotel in Manchester, and don't determine zoning regulation for the City of London. But I can write about what's happening, and "...promote institutions that improve the conditions of human life...." (Catechism, 1916)

At the moment, that's about the extent of my 'as far as possible' response.

As a Catholic, I'm inclined to look at Catholic outfits first, like Caritas in England and Wales Network (CSAN), "the official agency of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales for domestic social action."

It looks like they're doing a good job, but I recommend checking out any charity before donating. (March 17, 2011)

"Dignity of the Human Person"

I think I understand the feelings of property owners and others who act against folks who are not friends, clients, or customers.

However, I realize that folks who are at the bottom of the social ladder are people, too.

Living much of my life with undiagnosed neurological glitches helps, and that's another topic. (February 8, 2015; December 14, 2014)

I take our Lord seriously, so I figure I should love God, love my neighbor, see everybody as my neighbor, and treat others as I want them to treat me. (Matthew 5:43-44, 7:12, 22:36-40, Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31 10:25-27, 29-37; Catechism, 1789)

Earning money and buying property is "legitimate for guaranteeing the freedom and dignity of persons" — and lets property owners help others, which is also important. (Catechism, 2401-2414)

The "dignity of the human person" is vital. Each of us is made in the image of God, but we're not identical. We're supposed to have different abilities and needs. We're also supposed to look out for each other. (Catechism, 1929, 1934-1938)

Acting like loving my neighbor, and recognizing the dignity of everyone? That's not easy. But like I said, it's important:

• "(Not) 'Going Native' "
  (August 30, 2015)
  Particularly
  • Love and the Status Quo
  • Crime and/or Evil
  • Moving Forward
• "Angst, Hope, and Building a Better World"
  (July 5, 2015)
  Particularly
  • Doomsday Predictions and Fashionable Melancholia
  • Love and Responsibilities
  • Looking Ahead
• "Beaver Cleaver and the Common Good"
  (May 3, 2015)
  Particularly
  • The Universal Destination of Goods
  • Shoes and Carnegie Libraries
  • Humanity's Troubles
  • Practical Justice and Charity
  • "Keep Warm, and Eat Well"
• " 'Metropolis,' Plus 120 Years"
  Apathetic Lemming of the North (November 21, 2014)
  Particularly
  • "...The Whole World Would Contribute...."
  • "Sitting Rooms" and a Zigzag Outer Wall
• "Caesar, Civilization, Dealing With Change — and Building a Better World"
  (August 31, 2014)
  Particularly
  • Fear, Flappers, and Europe Flambé
  • It's the End of Civilization as We Know It: And About Time!
  • The Code of Hammurabi, Plus 3,700 years: Looking at the Big Picture

---

¹ It has been many years since I heard "of weak moral character" used to describe someone. I don't particularly like the term, since it was often used in a patronizing or condescending way.

A tip of the hat to Brian Matheny, on Google Plus, for pointing out the sensitive nature of that term.

My intent, as I recall, writing 'weak moral character,' was to refer to the attitude of folks with jobs, position, and a place to sleep, toward those who do not. Re-reading this later (Monday, January 18, 2016), I realize that I failed in that effort.

To clarify: I think some folks really are 'lazy bums' who are unwilling, not unable, to support themselves or seek the help they need.

I am also quite sure that many are in the position I have been in: willing to work, looking for work, and unable to find employment.

I avoided homelessness thanks in part to what my culture calls "good luck." I am hardly in a position to cast aspersions on those who, through no fault of their own, end up homeless.

Then there's the notion that folks with psychiatric disorders are 'of weak moral character.' I'm not likely to say that, since I'm one of 'those people:'

• "Suicide: No Future in It"
  (August 22, 2015)
  Particularly
  • Despair, No: Prayer, Yes
• " 'Months of Misery' and Job's Friends"
  (February 8, 2015)
  Particularly
  • Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries: With Pits
  • Depression and Death
  • Praise the Lord and Pass the Prescriptions
• "Suicide, Sin, and Dealing with Depression"
  (December 14, 2014)

The Crystal Cathedral, Cathedrals, and the Diocese of Orange

Depending on your point of view, this is good news, bad news, or completely irrelevant. I'm rather pleased about the development, myself:

"An [!] bankruptcy judge on Nov. 17 ruled in favor of the Diocese of Orange's $57.5 million offer for the iconic Crystal Cathedral over a bid from Chapman University.

"Bishop Tod D. Brown vowed on Thursday that the diocese will 'protect this wonderful structure as a place of worship and will soon provide our Catholic community with a new cathedral, pastoral center, parish school and more.'

"The Crystal Cathedral will meet the needs of the 1.2 million Catholics in Orange County, the 10th largest diocese in the nation...."
(CNA/EWTW News)

I've got a personal, sentimental, attachment to the Crystal Cathedral.


(Adapted from Anaheim/Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau, used w/o permission)


(Adapted from Anaheim/Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau, used w/o permission)

I'm a convert to Catholicism. My parents belonged to a nice, mainstream, Protestant denomination: and as they found it harder to get out of the house, they enjoyed Reverend Robert H. Schuller's telecasts from the Crystal Cathedral.

I've watched the programs: and enjoyed them, too. Schuller's brand of Christianity wasn't Catholic: but it was comforting.

I also like the architecture of the Crystal Cathedral. More about that in a bit.

Church, Satellite Campus, Cathedral

Chapman University wanted to buy the Crystal Cathedral property, and use it as a satellite campus. I have nothing against Champan U., but a satellite campus isn't a church. I think that, even with the best intentions, Chapman would have had a hard time keeping the appearance of the Crystal Cathedral: while converting the area into a functional campus.

Back to that CNA/EWTN News article:

"...Bishop Brown expressed sympathy for cathedral founder pastor Robert H. Schuller who filed for bankruptcy last October, after creditors sued for payment.

" 'We sincerely regret the difficult circumstances Dr. Schuller and his ministry have encountered,' the bishop noted. 'Despite these wonderful results, we are nonetheless saddened by the events that led us to today's award and offer our respect to Dr. Schuller and his ministry.'

"Under the terms of agreement, the bishop said that occupancy of the building 'will not be immediate' and that the Crystal Cathedral Ministries can continue to use the church and other campus structures for a period of up to three years...."
(CNA/EWTW News)

Maybe three years sounds like a long time. I'm glad I don't have the job of transferring Crystal Cathedral Ministries to another site. That's going to be a big job.

'It Doesn't Look Like a Church'

Although I haven't run into complaints about Crystal Cathedral not looking like a "real church," much less a cathedral, my guess is that at least a few folks are having fits over the metal-and-glass structure being used as a place of worship.

The high end of church architecture for quite a few centuries were the great cathedrals of northwestern Europe. Folks seem to have forgotten how ugly those newfangled "Gothic" structures looked to the "civilized" folks in southern Europe.¹ I've been over that before.

I suspect that, eight centuries from now, when 'everybody knows' that churches 'always' were shining piles of glass and metal, some folks will be shocked and horrified at whatever new wrinkle architects and engineers are developing.

Economics and Liturgical Requirements

The Diocese of Orange needs a new place for worship, because it's growing. The Crystal Cathedral was very attractive, since it is large enough: and even with their increased bid, will cost about half as much as they'd have spent on a built-from-scratch cathedral.

They're still going to have to make a few changes. Which doesn't mean hauling in tons of stone to make the Crystal Cathedral look like it was built with state-of-the-art late medieval technology:

"...The liturgist for the Orange diocese, Monsignor Arthur Holquin, said July 26 that several changes will need to take place in order for the Crystal Cathedral to become a Catholic worship space.

"Along with a central altar, a tabernacle and a baptismal font, the building would need a 'cathedra' or bishop's chair. While renovations are needed to the building, 'not much deconstruction would be required and the iconic personality of the original architecture and design would, for the most part, be retained,' he said."
(CNA/EWTW News)

I'm looking forward to see what they do with the place.

More (and less) related posts:

• "Horses, Gothic Cathedrals, and a Faith That Matters"
  (July 9, 2011)
• "The Diocese of Orange and the Crystal Cathedral: My Take"
  (July 8, 2011)
• "Modernism, Luddites, Catholicism, and Godzilla"
  (April 7, 2011)
• "Oh, For the 'Good Old Days?' "
  (November 28, 2010)
• "Art, Catholic Teachings, and This Catholic"
  (August 9, 2010)

In the news:

• "Diocese of Orange wins biding war for Crystal Cathedral"
  CNA/EWTN News (November 18, 2011)

---

¹ See:

• "Gothic Art And Architecture"
  Andrew Henry Robert Martindale, Professor of Visual Arts, University of East Anglia, Norwich, England, 1974–95

Sunday Obligation, Rules, Emotions, and Me

My new schedule says I'm supposed to write something about "being Catholic" today. The first one, last week, "Ancient Style and Today's Discussions at the 'Vatican Science Academy' " (October 2, 2011), was about part of the Catholic Church that focuses on one of my interests: the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. That, and the Church's clerical uniforms: very briefly.

I don't stay focused on one topic: not easily. And that's another topic.

Desperately Seeking a Topic

This week I thought I had something to write about when I heard the second reading at Mass: Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20. That's the one that starts:

"I know indeed how to live in humble circumstances; I know also how to live with abundance. In every circumstance and in all things I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry, of living in abundance and of being in need. I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me."
(Philippians 4:12-13)

Chewing it over, I remembered that I'd posted about wealth, poverty, and getting a grip, before.¹

Besides, I'd be likely to start rambling about my checkered job history. I've been a sales clerk, beet chopper, radio disk jockey, office worker, and there I go: starting to ramble.

A King; Guests, Invited and Otherwise; and Being Prepared?

A few minutes after that bit from Philippians, Father Statz was talking about Matthew 22:1-14, the parable about a king and wedding guests. It's not one of those 'comforting,' feel-good parables. Not for me, anyway. There's the start of a discussion of it in footnote 1 of Matthew 22.

He mentioned, again, this statistic: 27% of Catholics (in context, I'm guessing that's Catholics in America) go to Mass each week. That's probably why we have three extra Masses on Easter and Christmas: to handle the 'Easter and Christmas' folks.

I'm glad, in a way, that so many folks apparently feel like going once or twice a year. And that's not what I'll be writing about, quite.

Church on Sunday: What's the Big Deal?

I go to church each Sunday because I have to. It's in the rules: Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2180-2183. Sometimes I go late Saturday afternoon: which the bishops in this country say is okay in their territory.

I'm a convert to Catholicism, so maybe you'd expect me to be rabidly gung-ho about the spiritual ecstasy I feel each and every Sunday. That's not gonna happen, for several reasons:

1. I think there are quite enough gushy impression pieces about the beauties of the Mass
2. I'd have a hard time keeping a straight face while writing something like that
   • No criticism intended to folks who write and enjoy that sort of thing
3. I don't have that sort of glorious-visions-and-heavenly-voices 'mountain top' experience
   • Which is fine by me
   • I'd be a little suspicious if my faith was based on emotional highs
     • More than a little suspicious

I think that Catechism of the Catholic Church, Article 3 | The Third Commandment, is a pretty good place to start learning about why the Catholic Church makes such a big deal about 'church on Sunday:'

"The Sunday celebration of the Lord's Day and his Eucharist is at the heart of the Church's life...."
(Catechism, 2177-2179)

There's more: Catechism, The Sacrament of the Eucharist, for starters.

Maybe I should feel like a hyperventilating teenager at a rock concert each time we celebrate Mass. I don't know. But I go, when possible, because I'm supposed to. And because no matter what my emotions are doing at the moment: for at least a few minutes each week, I'm with my Lord at the Last Supper, and Golgotha, and beyond.

I think it's worth the hour it takes each week.

Somewhat-related posts:

• The Eucharist
  • "Corpus Christi, and Running into Walls"
    (June 26, 2011)
  • "The Road to Emmaus, and Rome, and Sauk Centre, and - - -"
    (May 8, 2011)
  • "Celebrating Mass, Flossing My Teeth"
    (October 20, 2010)
  • "Catholics Invented Transubstantiation Like Newton Invented Gravity"
    (September 21, 2009)
• Sunday obligation
  • "Sunday Obligation, Kids, and Consistency"
    (July 16, 2011)
  • "Called to Holiness, Not Stupidity"
    (February 6, 2011)
  • "Sunday Obligation and Getting the Job Done"
    (October 9, 2010)
  • "Sunday Obligation, Recovering From Surgery, Wild Weather, and Martha"
    (July 17, 2010)
  • "Sunday: I've Got Lots of Time for Reflection Today"
    (January 3, 2010)
  • "Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2009: A Reflection"
    (June 28, 2009)
    • Guest post
  • "Working on Sunday: At Growing the Christian Interior Life"
    (January 2, 2010)

---

¹ I even had a post titled, "Success, Wealth, Poverty, and Getting a Grip." Bottom line, as nearly as I've been able to find out:

• It's okay to be
  • Rich
    • What matters is how a wealthy person deals with it
  • Poor
    • What matters is how a poor person deals with it
• Money
  • Isn't
    • Good
    • Bad
    • What matters is what each of us does with what we've got
• Love of money is
  • Idolatry
  • A really bad idea
    • 1 Timothy 6:10
    • Hebrews 13:5

A few decades ago, one of reasons folks were supposed to loathe and detest the Catholic Church was that we stole from the poor and gave to the rich. Specifically, those men in the Vatican.

As propaganda, it's surprisingly effective. Partly, I think, because St. Peter's in Rome is an amazing work of architecture, the Vatican's museums and libraries store treasures collected over two millennia, and you're not likely to find a headline about Catholics doing something nice.

Part of our mandate is to care for the poor, which the Church handles by having a few folks coordinating whatever work needs doing: and 'boots on the ground' in most places where local authorities let us in. More:

• "Charity, Nuns, and an Overloaded Helicopter"
  (April 28, 2011)
• "Bishops, Congress, and the Poor"
  (February 18, 2011)
• "Money isn't Everything: But it Helps"
  (April 10, 2010)

As far as being okay with the Church having St. Peter's as headquarters? I'd much rather be explaining why I didn't fuss about a fraction of 1,000,000,000 or so Catholics' resources getting spent on a visible reminder of my Lord's church in the world; than why we had the Pope celebrating Mass in a pole barn.

More:

• "Timothy, Amos, Money, and Getting a Grip"
  (August 4, 2011)
• "Passing Through Status Symbol Land"
  (May 14, 2011)
• "Wealth, Poverty, Stereotypes, and Snidely Whiplash"
  (March 8, 2011)
• "Success, Wealth, Poverty, and Getting a Grip"
  (September 27, 2010)
• "Wealth, the Vatican, the White House, Corporate Headquarters, and Cultural Values"
  (February 4, 2010)

Good grief, this footnote is long enough to be a post by itself. And that's yet another topic.

Horses, Gothic Cathedrals, and a Faith That Matters

A few hours ago, I overheard my wife and #3 daughter talking about working at a food concession at a horse show.

Which reminded me of horses, technology, late-medieval architecture, martial arts, Eastern philosophies, and the Diocese of Orange, California.

What Sort of Crazy List Is That?!

It's not as disconnected a set of topics as it may seem. I put a sort of explanation at the end of this post.¹

Feeding the Folks, Cleaning the Barns

Once a year, or thereabouts, a group of horse enthusiasts² have a get-together at the county fairgrounds, about a quarter-mile south of my house. They pay local groups to provide services.

Some years our Soo Bahk Do³ group gets the food service, some years we shovel out the barns.

This year we got the food service.

My wife and #3 daughter worked there this morning, and yesterday: and they'll be back tomorrow. Quite a few of the Soo Bahk Do folks are around my daughter's age, and related to each other. Which isn't at all unusual around here.⁴

Hijinks and Calm at a Rural Horse Show

I heard that one of the younger Soo Bahk Do folks included a picture of a horse, seen from the rear, on the erasable menu we've got at the fair ground's food service. Same as she's done in previous years. The horse folks like it, I gather.

Our patrons know us, from years of association - and didn't seem to notice the younger members of our group chasing each other around the concession. We're careful about what we do. Which might not be obvious to a newcomer.

Getting Used to Technology

I've noticed a few technologies make the transition from 'threat to civilization as we know it' to something that's 'always been there.' Television and the telephone were eroding the foundations of society in my teens. At least, that's the way a few 'experts' and 'concerned citizens' saw it.

Me? I was in my teens, and filed the prognostications of doom and gloom under 'interesting' with cross-references from 'abnormal psychology' and 'quaint ideas.' Not that my mental processes have ever been quite that formally organized - but that's pretty much how I viewed the notion that technology controls people.

Or that the various super-technologies, from string and fire to computers and nuclear energy, would surely destroy us all.

'Just Wait - - -'

Then there's the cartoon showing two older cave men, standing apart from some younger folks and a fire. One of the old (about my current age) coots says to the other, 'just wait: someday it'll get out of control, and burn down the whole village.'

Ever hear of the London Fire of 1666? Folks in London haven't forgotten. Then there was the big Chicago Fire in 1871. Most, if not all, cities seem to have had an enormously destructive fire: after which they decided that building codes and something like a fire department are good ideas.

Which I think makes more sense than outlawing fire, or telling people to stop living close to each other.

Horses and the End of Civilization, ca. 1900

Although I've had to bow out of quite a bit in the last decade, I've helped the local Soo Bahk Do group shovel out horse barns.

Trust me on this, folks: horses, lovely creatures that they are, generate a sort of pollution. And it's not the sort that a brisk wind will send downwind.

Now, imagine the city of London, in the late 1800s. Since horseless carriages were still mostly in the future, the place must have been wonderfully pollution-free, right?

Depends on your definitions: Smog, no. Manure, yes. Lots and lots of manure.

Around 1900, London had 50,000 horses for registered vehicles - and a whole lot more attached to carts, wains, or just about anything else that moved. With each horse producing around 15 to 35 pounds of manure each day. By the end of the 19th century, serious thinkers realized that horses would surely bring about end of civilization.

Surprisingly, though, 1944 rolled around - and every street in London was not buried under nine feet of manure.⁵

Gothic Cathedrals: Geodesic Domes of the 12th century

Ah, the 'Good Old Days: When folks built Beautiful Buildings and things were just simply spiffing.

I think quite a few folks think that "Gothic cathedrals" look nice - and may even feel that they represent the way churches 'really should' look. I think they're beautiful, myself.


(MathKnight and Zachi Evenor, via Wikipedia, used w/o permission)


(Vassil, via Wikipedia, used w/o permission)

I also know that for centuries, starting with the Italian Renaissance, these wonders of building technology and architectural design were considered ugly. Because, I gather, they'd been designed by Europeans - and didn't look just like what Roman architects had built, centuries before.⁶

Never mind that the 'primitive,' barbarian Europeans had done what nobody has achieved before or since - built stone structures with walls that were mostly glass.

I don't think anybody had achieved that sort of breakthrough until Buckminster Fuller worked out the math for geodesic domes, in the 20th century.

Soo Bahk Do? In Central Minnesota?

Quite a few folks around here don't know what Soo Bahk Do is.

However, thanks to Bruce Lee, they do have some notion of what Karate is. Soo Bahk Do isn't Karate², but they're both martial arts.

And martial arts isn't much like those movies with titles like 'Fearless Fang and the Ninja Doom Assassin.' In the world outside movie studios, I doubt that anything is.

I've had to quite, but my wife, #3 daughter, and son are still involved in the local Soo Bahk Do group.

What? I let my wife learn martial arts, and I call myself a practicing Catholic?! It gets worse: I've learned some Soo Bahk Do myself, and hope to find a way to work around some physical constraints.

Martial Arts and Being Catholic

I don't see a problem with learning the sort of physical and mental disciplines it takes to break boards, learn a form, or pay attention to something you can't see at the moment. Which isn't as mystical as it sounds: ever find a light switch in a familiar, but dark, room?

For what it's worth, the local Soo Bahk Do group's leaders, and all the members I know, are Catholic. I've discussed perceptions and reality of 'foreign' ideas and Eastern practices before.

• "Yoga, Ephesians, and Getting a Grip"
  (May 30, 2011)

'New' isn't Better - or Worse

Europeans and Americans are used to Gothic cathedrals now, and have seemed - starting around the 19th century - to realize that something didn't have to have been invented in ancient Rome or Greece to be okay.

The 19th century's 'Shazam!' moment - coming out of the Renaissance's haze and realizing that folks hadn't stopped having useful new ideas when Rome fell - may explain why we were so convinced that 'new' was 'better,' up to the '60s, when the current 'we're all doomed' attitude caught on.

And that's not quite another topic.

Church Architecture and "LET THERE BE LIGHT"

Despite its name, the Basilica of Saint Denis is - architecturally - a Gothic building.

We're used to seeing walls of glass, stained or otherwise. Centuries of familiarity may mask just how amazing it is, that a stone building could have those vast expanses of window.

All that glass is important for several reasons.

First, on practical grounds, it's easier to use a building that's well lighted. For the most part: movie theaters and some eateries are among the exceptions.

Second, those windows are colored glass - which are aesthetically pleasing (your experience may vary), and illustrate what the Church teaches. Multimedia was not invented in the 20th century - and that's yet another topic.

Third, I've run into the assertion that Christian literature uses light as a metaphor - a lot. I'm inclined to believe it. Arguably, then, a Christian church should let in, or provide, as much light as possible - without dazzling the folks inside.

Diocese of Orange and the Crystal Cathedral

I wrote about the Crystal Cathedral yesterday. It's a very 20th-century building. And, I suspect, 'doesn't look like a church' to quite a few folks.


(Adapted from Anaheim/Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau, used w/o permission)


(Adapted from Anaheim/Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau, used w/o permission)

I've discussed the Diocese of Orange / Crystal Cathedral situation before:

• "The Diocese of Orange and the Crystal Cathedral: My Take"
  (July 8, 2011)
  Particularly
  • Why the Crystal Cathedral?
  • 'But - It Doesn't Look Like a Church?!'

Bottom line, for me? The Crystal Cathedral obviously isn't built the same way as the Gothic cathedrals were. But they both used some of the best contemporary technology to create a house of worship filled with light.

A Faith that Matters

I'm a convert to Catholicism. I made that decision for quite a few reasons - mostly because I found out who had the authority my Lord gave to Peter. (June 15, 2011)

Then there's the way the Church teaches that we should act as if Jesus matters. All the time - not just for an hour on Sunday. (April 27, 2010)

And it's good to be follow the Word of God, Son of God and Son of Man, Light of nations, ⁷ who came to save all of us. (Catechism, 432, 813 ...) Is the Catholic Church "universal?" For all times, all places, all people? Yes. I've been over that before. (April 19, 2010)

Related posts:

• Technology
  • "Another Face Transplant: Yes, it's Okay"
    (June 11, 2011)
  • "Modernism, Luddites, Catholicism, and Godzilla"
    (April 7, 2011)
  • "When to Call Tech Support, When to Read the Bible"
    (January 14, 2011)
  • "Mirrors, Television, and MP3 Players"
    (November 6, 2010)
  • "The Pope, Science, and Technology: My Take"
    (October 30, 2010)
• Being Catholic
  • "Local Parishes, Universal Church, and Living in Minnesota"
    (June 16, 2011)
  • "Response to 'Why indeed be Catholic?' - 'Me Too!' "
    (March 26, 2011)
  • "Loving Neighbors: No Matter What"
    (May 10, 2011)
  • "Unity, Diversity, and Being Catholic"
    (August 26, 2010)
  • "Conservative? Liberal? Democrat? Republican? No, I'm Catholic"
    (November 3, 2008)
• Living with hope
  • "Christianity: A Religion of Hope"
    (May 5, 2011)
  • "Uncertainty, 'Being Religious,' and This Catholic"
    (February 12, 2011)
  • "We Won: Quite a While Ago"
    (January 13, 2011)
  • "Art, Catholic Teachings, and This Catholic"
    (August 9, 2010)
  • "Baptism of Desire: Or, Two Thousand Years of Not Knowing Everything"
    (May 3, 2010)

---

¹ In case you wonder how I think horses, technology, late-medieval architecture, martial arts, eastern philosophies, and the Diocese of Orange, California, are connected - here's what happened, pretty much:

• Horses
  • Beautiful creatures
    • So are flying mechanical penguins
    • Not as useful as horses, though
      • Yet
  • Once the energy source for many technologies
    • We still use terms like "horsepower"
  • "Technologies" segues into - - -
• Technology
  • "the application of the knowledge and usage of tools ... and techniques to control one's environment"
    (Princeton's WordNet)
  • Rapidly changing for the last several centuries
    • Which, depending on personal attitudes, can be
      • Scary
      • Bewildering
      • Fascinating
  • Which a person may use to do
    • Good
    • Evil
    • It's the person's decision
      • Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2292-2296
        • For starters
      • Apathetic Lemming of the North (December 2, 2009)
        • And elsewhere
  • Affects what people can do
    • Imposing limits
    • Expanding practical options
  • Is changed when people want make something new, like
    • Disease-resistant plants
    • Machines that fly
    • Stone buildings with walls made of glass
      • Which is how we got late-medieval architecture
        Particularly
        • Gothic Cathedrals
• Martial arts
  • My wife and daughter were raising money for a martial arts class
  • What we call "martial arts" started in east Asia
    • So did 'eastern philosophies'
• Eastern philosophies
  • Which aren't necessarily religions
  • But certainly aren't 'American'
    • And didn't come from northwestern Europe
    • 'Just like' those Catholics
• Diocese of Orange, California
  • A Catholic diocese
  • Which may buy the Crystal Cathedral
    • Which isn't built in the Gothic style
      • But has a whole lot of glass walls

Back to top.

² It's the MHAHA, or Minnesota Half Arabian Horse Association:

• Minnesota Half Arabian Horse Association
  • Interesting Links

³ Soo Bahk Do is a martial art, a bit like Karate. Except Soo Bahk Do was developed in Korea, and isn't Karate. To someone who isn't familiar with either, they look sort of alike.

Background:

• U.S. Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan
  Springfield, NJ 07081

⁴ When I moved to Sauk Centre, I was related, by marriage, to about half the folks in town: Not all that closely, in many cases, but all I had to do was say whose daughter I'd married, and they knew who I was. And that's another topic.

⁵ The Manure Crisis of 1894 would make a good case-in-point for why we need common-sense environmental regulations. I think the reason you won't find it used that way is that it doesn't lend itself to a 'technology is bad' mindset.

Excerpt from a comparatively obscure publication:

"Manure crisis of 1894 to traffic congestion today – technology is the answer"
Belinda Vesey-Brown, Brio Daily (June 27, 2011)

"As I drive to work each day and sit in peak hour traffic patiently waiting for my turn to move ahead a metre, I can't help but think this is a complete waste of time and fuel, but yet I endure it day after day. This is not the first time the changes to our society and the growth of our cities gets to breaking point where we need to stop and find a solution.

"A classic example of this is a problem that was getting steadily worse about a hundred years ago, so much so that it drove most observers to despair. This was the great horse-manure crisis.

"Nineteenth-century cities depended on thousands of horses for their daily functioning. All transport, whether of goods or people, was drawn by horses. London in 1900 had 11,000 cabs, all horse-powered. There were also several thousand buses, each of which required 12 horses per day, a total of more than 50,000 horses. In addition, there were countless carts, drays, and wains, all working constantly to deliver the goods needed by the rapidly growing population.... Similar figures could be produced for any great city of the time.

"The problem of course was that all these horses produced huge amounts of manure. A horse will on average produce between 15 and 35 pounds of manure per day. Consequently, the streets of nineteenth-century cities were covered by horse manure. This in turn attracted huge numbers of flies, and the dried and ground-up manure was blown everywhere. In New York in 1900, the population of 100,000 horses produced 2.5 million pounds of horse manure per day, which all had to be swept up and disposed of.*...

"...Writing in the Times of London in 1894, one writer estimated that in 50 years every street in London would be buried under nine feet of manure. Moreover, all these horses had to be stabled, which used up ever-larger areas of increasingly valuable land. And as the number of horses grew, ever-more land had to be devoted to producing hay to feed them (rather than producing food for people), and this had to be brought into cities and distributed by horse-drawn vehicles. It seemed that urban civilisation was doomed....

"...* See Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace, Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898 [New York: Oxford University Press, 1999]."

Sound familiar?

That time, the solution wasn't shooting all the horses, making the people stop having babies, and returning Londinium to its natural state.

Although a few generations later, someone did try 'cleaning' Europe's gene pool - and that's another topic.

⁶ See:

• "Gothic Art And Architecture"
  Andrew Henry Robert Martindale, Professor of Visual Arts, University of East Anglia, Norwich, England, 1974–95

⁷ More:

• "Respect, Formality, and Titles of Christ"
  (July 6, 2011)
  Particularly
  • Titles of My Lord

The Diocese of Orange and the Crystal Cathedral: My Take

The Diocese of Orange serves about 1,200,000 Catholics.

Plans for building a 2,500-seat cathedral in Santa Ana have been around for more than a decade. The diocese hired an architect, and that's about it. I'm not surprised or shocked that the diocese hasn't gone ahead and gotten the thing built already - or that they're even thinking about spending money on a building project.¹

For Sale - One House of Worship, Used

Crystal Cathedral Ministries has a 3,000-seat place of worship - the Crystal Cathedral. The organization Robert H. Schuller started is - not in the best shape, financially. I've read a couple versions of what's 'really' happening in the news: some of which may be somewhat close to accurate in spots.

A common thread that seems to be accurate is that for whatever reason - probably financial - the Crystal Cathedral may be up for sale.²

Robert H. Schuller, the Hour of Power, and My Parents

I've got a soft spot in my head for Robert H. Schuller: largely because his televised Hour Of Power brought a measure of church participation to my parents in their later years. Crystal Cathedral Ministries isn't Catholic, but Robert H. Schuller's "message of hope" was reasonable - "To be inspired and motivated through possibility thinking to grow in a loving relationship with Jesus Christ to be the persons God dreams, desires, and designed us to be."

As I've said before, the colorful screwballs who make the news are not representative of most Christians in America: Catholic or otherwise. (June 23, 2011)³

Some Televangelists, Labels, and Getting a Grip

I've seen Robert H. Schuller described as a "televangelist." I suppose that could be accurate. His actions were "evangelical," at least in the sense of being "marked by ardent or zealous enthusiasm for a cause." (Princeton's WordNet) And his weekly "Hour of Power" certainly made him a television personality of sorts.

I could use the same argument to call Fulton Sheen a televangelist.

However, using the same term to describe folks like Robert H. Schuller and Fulton Sheen: and Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart might be a little misleading. I've discussed stereotypes and labels before.⁴

Why the Crystal Cathedral?

Robert H. Schuller's outfit isn't Catholic - and the Crystal Cathedral, despite the name, isn't a Catholic church. So why is the Diocese of Orange interested in buying it?

Maybe because it looks cool?

Well, maybe: but I think there's more going on than appreciation for architecture.


(Adapted from Anaheim/Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau, used w/o permission)


(Adapted from Anaheim/Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau, used w/o permission)

Here's what the Diocese of Orange says, about why they're placing a bid for the Crystal Cathedral:

"...'While we continue to develop plans for a cathedral in Santa Ana, it is prudent to evaluate the opportunity to engage in the pending auction of this property and to mitigate the chance that it cease to function as a place of worship, if acquired by others,' Bishop Tod D. Brown said on Tuesday.

"The Crystal Cathedral - an architectural landmark made with over 10,000 panes of glass and designed by the late Philip Johnson – would be an instant solution to the diocese's building needs and would cost roughly half the $100 million price tag for the planned cathedral....

"...'If the Diocese of Orange can prevent the loss of this important Christian Ministry and what the Crystal Cathedral has represented to so many for so long – and meet its own priorities for a new cathedral, we have a duty to at least review the options.'

"At the same time, Bishop Brown cautioned that no official plans have been made."
(CNA)

Okay, that seems to make sense: buying the already-built Crystal Cathedral would get the Diocese of Orange 500 more seats, and cost around $50,000,000 less, than building something from scratch.

Plus, doing so would keep a place that's been an important place of worship for quite a few folks from becoming something like a shopping mall or - movie theater? With 10,000 panes of glass?? Art gallery, maybe. Or a museum of inner tubes and tire irons.

'But - It Doesn't Look Like a Church?!'

The Crystal Cathedral doesn't look like the houses of worship built in Europe, about eight centuries ago - or the churches built in Rome eight centuries before that. Eight centuries from now, the Crystal Cathedral may be what churches are 'really' supposed to look like - not at all like those 'awful, ugly, new things.'

I've written about change before. And that's another topic.

Not-entirely-unrelated posts:

• "Veneration, Worship, and All That"
  (April 16, 2011)
• "Modernism, Luddites, Catholicism, and Godzilla"
  (April 7, 2011)
• "Oh, For the 'Good Old Days?' "
  (November 28, 2010)
• "Art, Catholic Teachings, and This Catholic"
  (August 9, 2010)
• "Working on Sunday: At Growing the Christian Interior Life"
  (January 2, 2010)

In the news:

• "Southern California diocese considers buying Crystal Cathedral"
  Marianne Medlin, CNA (Catholic News Agency) (July 8, 2011)
• "Catholic Church interested in Crystal Cathedral"
  The Orange County Register (July 6, 2011)

Background:

• The Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange
• "Philip Johnson"
  New York Architecture
• "Philip Johnson, Glass House Architect"
  Jackie Craven, About.com

---

A tip of the hat to thomaspringle, on Twitter, for the heads-up on the Diocese of Orange / Crystal Cathedral connection.

¹ Greed isn't a good idea. At all.

"The tenth commandment forbids greed and the desire to amass earthly goods without limit. It forbids avarice arising from a passion for riches and their attendant power. It also forbids the desire to commit injustice by harming our neighbor in his temporal goods:

"When the Law says, 'You shall not covet,' these words mean that we should banish our desires for whatever does not belong to us. Our thirst for another's goods is immense, infinite, never quenched. Thus it is written: 'He who loves money never has money enough.'³²¹"

(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2536)

Making an idol of money - that's a really bad idea. (Catechism, 2113, 2424)

About building a new cathedral? We're commanded to worship God. (Catechism, 2083-2094) And - no surprise to someone who's been around people for decades - the setting for worship matters. (Catechism, 1183, 1184, 1186)

By the way: watching Mass on television isn't just like being there. Which has to do with the Eucharist. (Catechism, 1322-1405; summarized, 1406-1419)

² Excerpt from today's news:

"The Diocese of Orange says it is potentially interested in buying a 3,000-seat glass church in Southern California that faces bankruptcy.

"The diocese announced on July 7 that it's currently looking for a building to meet the needs of the1.2 million Catholics in Orange County, the 11th largest diocese in the nation.

"Although it's been planning for over 10 years to build a new, 2,500-seat cathedral in Santa Ana, the diocese has only hired an architect for the project and is now considering converting the bankrupt church in Garden Grove into a Catholic cathedral.

" 'While we continue to develop plans for a cathedral in Santa Ana, it is prudent to evaluate the opportunity to engage in the pending auction of this property and to mitigate the chance that it cease to function as a place of worship, if acquired by others,' Bishop Tod D. Brown said on Tuesday.

"The Crystal Cathedral - an architectural landmark made with over 10,000 panes of glass and designed by the late Philip Johnson – would be an instant solution to the diocese's building needs and would cost roughly half the $100 million price tag for the planned cathedral...."
(CNA)

³ I'm a convert to Catholicism. As I've explained -

"...The area I grew up in was virulently anti-Catholic. My parents weren't - but I couldn't help but pick up the local culture's message about the Whore of Babylon. ... Lurid rants about the evils of the Catholic Church got me curious: ..."
(Curiosity and This Catholic, in "Why I Became a Catholic ")

I'm savvy enough - and have lived in enough areas - to realize that loud soreheads aren't necessarily typical. They're just hard to ignore. Or, sometimes, avoid. And that's another topic.

⁴ My take on stereotypes and labels:

• "Wealth, Poverty, Stereotypes, and Snidely Whiplash"
  (March 8, 2011)
• "Those Heretics May Not Like being Called Heretics"
  (May 16, 2010)
• "Tony Alamo, 'Those Evangelists,' and Labels"
  (November 13, 2009)